Imperfect Desires

"Dr. Ling, how is Regan?"

Xiao Li didn't even wait for the doctor to finish washing her hands before he showed up beside her. Dr. Ling was startled for a minute. Looking at his anxiety, she decided not to say anything about him sneaking up on her like this.

"The surgery is successful." But before he could heave a sigh of relief she added, "However, the damage can't be reversed."

"What do you mean?" he inquired.

"I've tried to reduce the damage as much as possible. But the patient is diabetic as well. Even a normal cut for diabetic patients can become deadly sometimes."

Xiao Li knew that and he didn't feel like listening to this anymore. "Answer me straightforwardly. How is his condition?"

Dr. Ling was silent for a moment before coming clean, "Since he experienced the stroke, we believe he'd recommend compensatory visual therapy. There is a possibility that he might have difficulty in speech for a while. But there is nothing to worry about. His life is out of danger now. Yes, it might take him months to recover completely."

"He'd be fine after the visual therapy, right?" 

 She patted his shoulder saying, "It's brain surgery. I can't give you a hundred percent assurance in cases like these. Luckily, there wasn't any swelling or clotting. And we managed to control the bleeding on time. So, the chances of his full recovery are quite high. So, don't lose hope."

Seeing how Xiao Li's whole being was downcasted, she took a deep breath and added, "Let's wait for the patient to wake up before coming to any more conclusions."

Xiao Li also nodded his head and said, "Thanks for coming here all the way!"

"I had to come. Who would want to offend you?"

Xiao Li didn't bother her anymore and went out in a complicated mood. He had to deliver this news to everyone as well. But looking at everyone's already anxious faces, he had to re-think what to say and what to sugar-coat over.

"Bro, what did the doctor say?" asked Ah-Si as soon as he saw his brother coming out.

Soon, everyone's eyes were trained on him. He could feel the pressure of the doctor when all of them looked at him with the same look. Clearing his throat, he said, "The surgery went well. Regan's life is out of danger now." He took a moment and added, "But the recovery might take longer since the brain is a sensitive part of our body. So, you all need to be extra careful with him."

"I feel like half of my life drained in the past three hours," said Francesca as her body slumped down on the chair. She patted her chest in reassurance, "It's okay now. My son is fine. He is fine. My daughter is fine. And my grandchild is fine. As long as they are fine, I can finally relax." 

"I can finally breathe again," Nora also sighed out. "I don't ever want to come back to a hospital!" Ah-Si went up to her and hugged her as he patted her back. Nora leaned into his touch and finally felt her body relaxing. Suddenly, her body went limp and she closed her eyes. 

"Nora! Nora! What happened to you now?" Ah-Si was taken aback by this sudden turn of events.

"She is exhausted from everything she saw and went through today. Just take her home and let her rest," said Xin Zimen calmly.

And since Ah-Si would never doubt his father's words, he hurriedly decided to take her home. During this time, he had been so worried that even his fear of Nora's parents couldn't be seen. Even now, he didn't even bother looking at them before carrying her in his arms and turned to leave.

Obviously, neither Clara nor Jing said anything regarding this. This was their first time seeing the interaction between Ah-Si and Nora. No matter how much they heard from Xiu that Ah-Si cared a lot about Nora, as parents they wouldn't be reassured. But seeing is certainly believing and they could see how in this tough time, Ah-Si had been constantly standing beside Nora as her pillar of support.

They also noticed how Nora depended on him. And they could also see the worry in Ah-Si's eyes for Nora. How would they find faults with him? And besides, right now, no one had the time to find faults with anyone.

"Can I see Regi?" asked Francesca. 

"Not yet," replied Xiao Li. "Let them shift him to another room first."

Francesca nodded in understanding and said, "Then I should go and check up on Xiu."

"Let's go together," Clara also joined her and they went towards Xiu's room.

Now, that the ladies were gone, Xin Zimen eyed his son and asked, "Now, tell me in detail. What are you hiding? How is Regan's condition?"

Xiao Li pursed his lips and looked at his father. "It's really as I said, he is fine. But he'd need some therapy. Might even experience some difficulty in a speech at first. But the doctor said the chances of his full recovery are high."

"Why didn't you tell this before?"

"Because I want everyone to treat Regan as before. If anyone treated him differently, or he saw everyone so worried about him to the point of shedding tears, it might have an effect on his brain."

"You have a good son," complimented Jing Ge as he looked at Xiao Li. "I agree with him. It's better if Darren stays in a positive environment."

As Jing Ge had something to discuss with Xin Zimen, they stepped aside leaving Xin Xiaoli alone in the corridor. He was about to sit down and when someone ran up to his side. He turned his head and faced Cali, who was trying to catch her breath but still asked, "Where is Regi? How is he?"

Xin Xiaoli told her the same things he told everyone but unlike others, she wasn't as easily convinced. So what if she was an orthopedic surgeon. As a doctor, she knew the complications involved with brain surgeries. 

"Can you please tell me everything clearly and honestly?"

Xin Xiaoli hesitated but in the end, he had to tell her everything in detail. And the more she heard, the more her face turned unsightly.